cfDNA Consensus meeting hosted in Leicester ECMC

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On 24 November 2014 the NCRI Biomarkers & Imaging Clinical Studies Group and the ECMC Network held a consensus meeting aimed at research teams in the ECMCs investigating cell-free DNA (cfDNA). The meeting included 34 attendees representing expertise in cfDNA in 14 of the 18 ECMCs and 4 industry partners.

Chaired by Prof. Robert Brown (Imperial ECMC) and hosted by Prof. Jacqui Shaw (Leicester ECMC), the meeting aimed to build on the NCRI Workshop held in January and gain consensus from the ECMC and NCRI communities on cfDNA techniques and analysis and key research questions and clinical strategy.

Meeting attendees heard from the Cambridge, Leicester and Manchester ECMCs on research on analysis and standards for cfDNA as well as a look at upcoming technology and state of the art techniques from Qiagen and Astrazeneca. The meeting was incredibly successful with a number of opportunities for research and collaboration identified with a recommendation to form these around priority disease areas following criteria developed by the group. The group also made a number of recommendations around standards and analysis, which could be pivotal in moving forward cfDNA as a biomarker in cancer. The ECMC Secretariat is currently working with CRUK Research Strategy team to take forward the recommendations from the workshop. The full report and recommendations from that meeting can be found here: cfDNA Consensus Meeting and Report

The Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre initiative is jointly funded by Cancer Research UK, the National Institute for Health Research in England and the Departments of Health for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.